How you know someone's an engineer and has played "Dark Side of the Moon" while watching "The Wizard of Oz"

We were at Outback Steakhouse tonight. Colin and I were outside, and he noticed a landscape light in the garden, pointed right up to the sky.

Colin: Mommy, look - a light!

Me: Wow, yeah.

Nerdy engineer eavesdropping on our conversation, to Colin: Yeah, that's so if you want to lay on the sky, you can read a book upside down.

Colin: (silent blank stare)

How You Can Tell That Someone Is an Engineer and English Is Not Their First Language

Overheard at the YMCA tonight:

"Yeah, you need real weights. Nothing's like the real Dr. McCoy."

Chuckles in (un)expected places

It's funny when little kids point out the peculiarities of English. It's even better when a child who is delayed in expressive and receptive language due to a hearing loss picks up on those items, such as homophones. An example from last week: I was working with a client, who is a preschooler. Names changed to protect the innocent and funny!

Me (showing a wind-up toy): Look!
Malak: Horse!
Me: That's right - a horse and a knight.
Malak: No - horse in the DAY.

Loved it!